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One of the first things Steven Hodgson noticed was Jordan Carbery’s slippers lying side-by-side on the path, as if he’d just stepped out of them. Then he spotted a bloody chunk of his scalp, and half his right ear . . . CONTINUE READING

From Arctic breeding grounds to the farthest tip of South America, this bird has one of the longest voyages in the animal kingdom. Now, decline of habitat and a key food source on the trip are making the endangered species’ travels even more hazardous. Canadian-U.S. researchers are going along for the virtual ride to learn how to help.

Western Sandpiper slurping up biofilm that appears critical for their migration to Alaska. Photo by Tomohiro Kuwae

By MARGARET MUNRO — Special to The Globe and Mail

A proposed port expansion south of Vancouver has the “potential for significant adverse effects” on migratory birds that stream north from South and Central America en route to their breeding grounds in Alaska, according to the federal environment department.

Western sandpipers, which touch down on the Fraser River delta in the spring to feed on energy-rich “biofilm” on the tidal mudflats, are most at risk and could suffer “species-level consequences,” says a submission from Environment and Climate Change Canada to the panel reviewing the $2-billion Roberts Bank Terminal 2 project. Continue reading . ..

The Scouts are working up a sweat digging holes for young cedars and vine maples, while the Starbucks baristas are on their knees planting ferns.

The “rewilding” of Everett Crowley Park, in the southeast corner of Vancouver, aims to make more space for wild things in the city’s increasingly concrete landscape. Or, as the [Vancouver] park board recently said, the project is part of its “vision for an urban environment in harmony with nature.”

It’s hard to imagine a more unlikely place.

Everett Crowley Park, which the board now describes as a “biodiversity hotspot,” is home to one of the most abused chunks of real estate in Vancouver – the old city dump. Continue reading . . .